Hi, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab...
They’ve been playing hide-and-seek with the press screenings on this one so far, scheduling and rescheduling them over and over. I’m resigned to the idea that I’ll just go see it when it opens. In the meantime, check out this report from someone who just attended a special screening with the Golden Globe-winning director...
It is scary how detached we've become in this age of
news-headlines. The media competes for our attention
in jolts and buzzes, going for high-drama and quick
gratification. We live and feel through electronic
signals; through paper and ink. It is easy to forget,
given the ease with which the words "regime-change"
are spoken, how monumental it is that whole countries,
nationalities, and cultures are being formed as we
speak. It is the stuff of revolution and history. And
it takes a lot of foresight to realize when you are
being witness to one of these historic events. If and
when you realize it, the force is so strong that you
are left shivering to the bone. We all felt that way
when we woke up on September 11, 2001. But it was fear
we felt, not excitement. So often does fear prevail
that we forget how that same deep-rooted intensity can
be associated with excitement and joy. Only a week ago
I could have told you that I've never had that feeling
when it comes to film. But then again I hadn't seen
Osama, or heard the passion of its director. And it
felt incredible to sit there and hear the excitement
in his voice. It is the sound of wheels turning, of
winds blowing. Of a new film-culture being formed.
I don't know or care much about Afghanistan. I work at a movie theatre here in Berkeley, California. I love
movies, and love living in a community that shows the
most obscure titles. But when I heard a few weeks ago
that we were going to screen Osama, and that the
director would be present, I didn't really make much
of it. Granted, it was the first feature-length film
to come from that country since the fall of the
Taliban, and the first Afghani film in memory to be
made without any censorship. But a movie is a movie,
and my experience with movies from under-developed
countries has been, well... bland. I don't blame
anyone. Most of these countries don't have very well
developed film-cultures. They don't have the necessary
funding, nor the mechanisms by which to find good
local talent. But as a movie-goer this really doesn't
mean much to me, cold as it may sound. A good movie is
a good movie. And so naturally, when I heard the
whispers of excitement about Osama coming from
independent film-circles, I dismissed it as hyperbole
meant to somehow make up for the film's lack of
quality. Which, given that Afghanistan has never had
much of a film-culture, I could understand. But I
didn't plan on seeing it.
And then on Sunday, one day before our screening, it
won the Golden Globe for best foreign picture. I still
had my doubts, given how the GG's are awarded at least
partly for notoriety's sake. But it was enough to
convince me to snag a last-minute ticket for the
screening. We have a huge Afghani community in
Berkeley, and over half the theatre was reserved for
guests of the director. I say this only so that you
know what context I saw the film in. Many of the
charachters in the film are archetypes and stereotypes
for certain figures that apparently most Afghani's are
familiar with, so maybe you'll laugh where they cried,
and most certainly you'll cry in parts where they
laughed. But that's kind of the beauty of genuine
foreign film.
So what can I say about the movie? It is painfully
poetic. Not in a cheap way. The lighting, the sounds,
the sights... the sillohette of a bleeding girl
standing on a dead tree; the image of a her cut-off
braids in a pot being watered as she cries in the
out-of-focus background; of her skipping rope in a
prison cell; of clothed women being soaked in water by
Talibi as a boy prays. Poetic in a way that is unique.
It is uniquely Afghani. It has such vivid style and
imagery that you immediately feel as if this is a film
coming from a well established director. The fact that
this is his feature-length debut is astonishing. It's
hard to explain, but Siddiq Barmak (who directed,
wrote, and edited the film single-handedly) adds a
sort of tension to the film that never lets go of you.
Even though the movie is a meager 82 minutes long, it
feels like you are in this world forever. The editing
is a potent shot of minimalism that I can't really
compare to anything I've seen recently. While you may
feel that it starts on the slow side, the sytlistic
decision pays off later. By letting us believe in this
world, and by showing us its natural pace, we are all
the more shocked when the main charachter faces what
she does. It gives the movie a here-and-now urgency
that will stay embedded in you for days.
What else can I say without spoiling the film? The
acting is brutal. That none of these are professional
actors (most had no previous acting experience) is
really a mute point. Like City of God, the charachters
simply belong to the story. They ARE the story. They
are not recreating some other charachters, or
searching for some foreign emotions to reflect; they
are reflecting their own emotion and pain. Add to this
that the movie was shot in Kabul, and it doesn't take
much imagination to believe that what you are seeing
is real.
Finally, I'd just like to comment that the film is
made with a tone of detachment that is brilliant. How
tempting it must have been to make a film that would
rip the Taliban apart, given the turn of the tides.
But Osama is content with simply showing us what is
there. The rawness of it will leave you hurting. We've
all heard our president speak of what the Taliban did,
but personally I was always skeptic, given his
political interests. But seeing this movie, and
knowing that these very things were taking place only
4-5 years ago... that is painful. The standards of
living in this film look like they come from over 100
years ago. But the attitudes of the Taliban
(particularly the scene with the "judge" at the end)
look like something from ancient history. To believe
that justice was administered this way ANYWHERE in the
world is unbelieveable. And yet Barmak doesn't say
anything. The film ends like a dissonat piano chord...
there is no redemption. Our better sense lead us to
believe that somehow this girl-turned-boy will emerge
victorious, a la Whale Rider or something rather. We
expect American troops to come in and save her. But
instead, well... you'll have to see it. I wouldn't
call it a sad or emotional ending, in the Hollywood
sense... It's an ending that outright hurts. And I
wouldn't have it any other way. While I loved Whale
Rider, it resolved joyfully, albeit with damage
already done. Osama doesn't spare us such mercy.
I'll finish up by just commenting on Barmak. The Q&A
was lengthy, and very informative. No stupid questions
(I love Berkeley!), and some very inquisitive,
borderline critical comments. I'll list just the
highlights:
* Marina Golbahari, the girl who plays Osama, was
found by the director bleeding and orphaned in front
of a movie-theatre in Kabul, begging for money.
* Barmak fled Afghanistan to study film in Moscow,
where he lived for 6 years (he speaks fluent Russian).
* A number of those who played Taliban gaurds
confessed to the director on the set that they had
been Talibi (the movie was shot just a month after the
Taliban's fall). When Barmak asked one of them in
private why he wanted to play the role, he told Barmak
that he felt this was his way of asking for
forgiveness. I thought that was incredibly moving.
* Barmak said that his next film will be a black
comedy, set in Kabul I presume. That reminded me of
Balkan Cabaret, that brilliant film set in mid 90's
Beograd. I can't wait.
Supposedly Osama will be getting a wider release by
the end of February, so maybe more folks will catch it
(though "wider" for a film like this still only means
maybe 50 screens nationwide). Listening to Barmak talk
was like listening to a pioneer on the verge of
something great. I'd love to see Afghanistan emerge as
a stylistic film-hub. As Barmak said, "We don't have
oil but we can still have great films." I hope indy
studios and distributors are listening.
Talimon (has nothing to do with Taliban... Talimon as
in "Come, Mr Talimon, Talimon banana...")
Thanks. Excellent write-up.
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